UNESCO

This report presents a biogeographic classification for global open ocean and deep sea areas (GOODS). It has been compiled by an international expert group initiated at a workshop held in Mexico City, Mexico, in January 2007, and is based on the input of many scientists and managers.

Water has become one of the most critical issues of the new century and is certainly of vital importance to sustainable ecosystem management. The objective of the present monograph is to contribute substantially to discussion on water and highlight current issues that are essential of the survival of humankind. Scarcity of water in some regions and abundance of water in others, degradation of water and pollution of entire watersheds have already led to regional – and even global – conflicts.